Google is introducing new Android app-quality requirements focused on memory use and code efficiency as AI data centers increase pressure on the global memory-chip supply. The company says tighter hardware availability may be especially visible in lower-cost phones, where manufacturers have less room to absorb component prices.
The rules will set thresholds for dynamic memory and bitmap use and add optimization requirements intended to reduce slowdowns and crashes. Google is also releasing developer alerts when an app exceeds the limits. More diagnostic features are due later this year, including a Memory Limiter that can show how software behaves when the operating system restricts its available memory.
Developers have until February 2027 to meet the new thresholds. A separate Play Store rule will require apps with sign-in features to restore a user’s authenticated state automatically during device migration by April 2027. The memory policy does not add RAM to devices, but it shifts part of the response to app makers by requiring software to work more reliably under tighter limits.